Looking Back, Looking Ahead: A New Year Conversation

Piper, MAGA, and the Evangelical Identity Crisis

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2520539/fan_mail/new]   In this episode of Faithful Dissent, James and Brian talk through the strange and revealing reaction to a simple John Piper tweet about loving the foreigner and what it says about the state of American evangelicalism. What should have been an unremarkable citation of scripture instead became a flashpoint, exposing just how deeply politics and ideology now shape what many Christians are willing to hear from the Bible.  From there, the conversation widens. They look at the backlash to Kirk Cameron for questioning eternal conscious torment, the fallout from another pastor scandal closer to home, and the larger pattern underneath it all: a version of evangelicalism that has traded theological depth for tribal certainty, spiritual maturity for celebrity, and faith for ideology.  Together, they explore:  * Why John Piper’s tweet provoked such a strong reaction from MAGA evangelicals * What the Kirk Cameron controversy reveals about theological rigidity and fear * How celebrity pastor culture creates unhealthy systems and protects strongman leadership * Why church planting movements can drift into cults of personality * The difference between conviction and ideological capture * Whether the current evangelical crisis might also become a moment of reckoning and renewal This is a conversation about power, theology, personality, and the kind of church America has built and whether something more honest and more faithful might still emerge from the wreckage.

The Death of Hollywood

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2520539/fan_mail/new]   After a brief hiatus and a new baby in the house, Brian and James return to tackle a big question: Is Hollywood dying?  From the golden age of the studio system to the Marvel era, the American film industry has shaped global culture for more than a century. Movies didn’t just entertain us — they exported American imagination around the world. But between streaming, shrinking theater audiences, corporate risk-aversion, and the rise of AI-generated visual production, something feels different.  In this episode, Brian and James explore:  * How COVID and streaming permanently altered movie-going habits * Whether AI will democratize filmmaking — or cheapen it * The decline of scarcity and what that means for artistic value * Why superhero fatigue might be more than just franchise burnout * Whether this is technological evolution — or cultural decay Is this just another industry shift, like silent films giving way to talkies? Or are we witnessing the collapse of something irreplaceable — a form of art that once commanded global attention?   And deeper still: is the real problem technology… or us?   A conversation about spectacle, virtue, attention spans, and whether we still know how to value what is good.

Politics with Brian & James: Minnesota, Maduro, and the Moral Failure of Christian Leaders

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2520539/fan_mail/new]   In this week’s episode of Faithful Dissent, we run through the crazy start to 2026. We talk through the ICE shooting in Minnesota, Gunboat diplomacy in Latin America and its broader implications, and a larger pattern we keep bumping up against: how Christian leaders across contexts sometimes fall short of the moral clarity they’re called to embody.  It's not been an easy start to the New Year, but we're here to talk it out with each other and we're glad you're hanging out with us on the ride.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead: A New Year Conversation

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2520539/fan_mail/new]   In this New Year’s grab bag episode of Faithful Dissent, James and Brian look back on 2025 and talk through the moments that shaped it—personally, politically, and spiritually. From dogs at Barnes & Noble and surfing lessons to sports rivalries, holiday traditions, AI anxiety, and the ongoing unraveling of American evangelical politics, this conversation moves where real life tends to move: between the meaningful and the mundane.  Along the way, they reflect on:  * What brought joy and surprise this year—and what simply helped them survive it * Why politics feels exhausting, confusing, and unavoidable * How AI is reshaping truth, trust, and daily life (for better and worse) * What faith looks like in a culture obsessed with success, wealth, and certainty * Why slow practices, embodied life, and attention to what really matters still matter This episode isn’t a manifesto or a hot take—it’s a year-end table conversation about what we’re carrying with us into the new year, what we’re trying to let go of, and why hope still feels possible.

Deconstruction at the Pub: Faith, Doubt, and What We Were Promised

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2520539/fan_mail/new]  What do people actually mean when they talk about “deconstruction”?  In this laid-back, unscripted conversation, James and Brian sit down to talk honestly about doubt, faith, abuse, certainty, and why so many people feel like the version of Christianity they inherited no longer works.  They trace how “deconstruction” has shifted over time—from backsliding, to honest questioning, to full-blown internet industry—and ask what healthy deconstruction might actually look like. Along the way, they wrestle with church hurt, certainty culture, conspiracy thinking, power, leadership failure, and why Christianity keeps confusing confidence with faith.  This isn’t a takedown and it isn’t a defense. It’s a conversation about staying honest, staying human, and figuring out what faith looks like when easy answers stop working.